Chinese TakeOut
by psychedelic aya
Summary: Yuta/Maya. Yuta, Maya, cooking class and some Chinese dumplings. Screams of, "What? You poisoned them?" and murmurs of, "It just doesn't taste the same, is all."


**Authoress' Notes: **TO LEISHE and so YAY. She requested this, and I have wanted to do a YutaxMaya for her since a longlong_long_ time ago… but you know me, being the lazy ass I am… er. Nevertheless, the main point is: I suddenly got an idea for a YutaxMaya fic! I've always wanted to write one, as a break from my YutaxNina-ness; and every time I read one of Leishe's fics I always get inspired. (Her fics are really good! _GO READ THEM!_) But then I fail to think of a plot, and so I'm down in the dumps again. But then today,I got an idea when I was eating my mom's homemade dumplings! And so BEWARE: the main point of this fic is—well, yes, you guessed it, _dumplings. _

So, onwards!

**DiSCLAiMER: **If I owned them, I wouldn't be sitting here in front of the computer hoping that somehow Maya wasn't an anime-only character… and I wish she were the one that Yuta had ended up with, if not Nina. (Sayaka's okay… but Maya's so much cooler…)

---

**Chinese Take-Out  
**_By psychedelic aya  
_**Requested fic by Leishe.**

It was an ordinary day.

And that, of course, meant it was _anything_ but _interesting_.

_Boring_ was the word to describe that day. Utterly and divinely and droningly boring. Boring with a capital and bolded **B.**

Of course, the term _boring_ could be interpreted in different ways by different people. Each human (or magician, in this case) is a unique person, after all.

Boring could be a song. Boring could be a TV show. Boring could be looking at the mirror and making faces. Boring could be studying. Boring could be doing a hang-ten airwalk while skydiving with a skateboard and landing right on target on the ground (or on the sea).

Boring… could be _anything_.

And for Kirishima Yuta…

…boring meant _cooking_.

"I don't see why we have to do this," he mumbled, feeling absolutely stupid in the _neon_ orange apron his older sister had lent him when she heard they had cooking class today. "We can just snap the food ready anyway, so why—?"

Their teacher, who was just so walking by while he was mumbling, cut off his complaint. "We do this, Kirishima-san, for _stealth_ purposes. You wouldn't want _ordinary_ people suddenly seeing magic spring forth out of nowhere, right? You must remember that—"

"That the people who know magic should be chosen _carefully. _Yeah, whatever, I know." Yuta rolled his eyes as their mentor nodded dutifully and simply passed by him. Why did she have to tell him that over and over _again_? This wasn't the first time, see. It was getting annoying. Didn't she know the he was _the number one student _in their level? He was the gifted one! The talented one! The best of he best! The prodigy, the heir—

"Stop daydreaming, you fool."

If the voice wasn't a girl's, Yuta was sure he'd have momentarily zapped away the person's vocal chords. _Momentarily _only, because he was also giving due credit that this person was one of his so-called "childhood friends".

And so, with an arched eyebrow, "And I suppose _you_ know how to cook, Maya?" If _he_ didn't know how to cook, then surely _she_ didn't! How could she know something he had no clue about? Besides, she was a rich kid, right? They had maids and butlers and everything to do these kinds of chores, even if within the human world!

She looked away indifferently, grabbing the spatula lying idly on the table. "Of course I know how to cook." She replied, still ever stoic, "Sebastian taught me how."

Yuta decided that maybe that was a little _too _much information for his own good. He did not like the mental images coming in now. Sebastian cooking. Sebastian in an apron. Sebastian in all his gay glory—

"Sebastian is not gay, Kirishima."

Now this was getting creepy. "That's the second time you've read my mind!" He crossed his arms over his chest, closing one eye while using the other to peer at her. "How do you know what I'm thinking, anyway?"

Without even looking at him, the black mage shrugged. "It's written all over your expression. You're too easy to read."

"But you're not even looking at me!"

"So?"

"So—"

And conveniently _again_, the teacher came by before the two of them could start more bickering. Without even calling them to stop, she looked at the record she was gripping and clearly read out, "Ophelia and Kirishima. Subject: Chinese cuisine. Your allotted time is an hour and a half. Use it wisely. I'll be back to check on you. Bye."

She spoke so bluntly and directly that neither Yuta nor Maya could spare a moment to react. Before they could retort, their mentor was already going to their other classmates to probably say the same information.

Although he looked shocked, Yuta still managed to smirk and give off his haughty posture. "So…"

Maya, on the other hand, although shocked for a moment too, began to duly ignore him. She turned away and tightened her grip on the spatula, while also grabbing a large wooden spoon. She looked as serious and as cold as ever. With a glare, "Just follow my instructions, and we'll get a along fine."

"What?"

Obviously, Yuta didn't like being told what to do. _He_ was the top student here, not _her_! "Why should I do such a—" He stopped when her eyes darted to him with a deadly slant. Creepy enough, it was exactly the same look he knew she had before she opened the Dark Zone.

_Ulp_.

And again, "Just follow my instructions, baka."

Yuta didn't dare argue anymore.

Maya grabbed a bowl and some flour, and they began.

---

It was done.

"I get first taste!"

Maya rolled her eyes at her so-called partner, as taking off her apron and hanging it by the chair. "Whatever," she murmured, as grabbing some chopsticks from the school's utensil cabinet. Throwing them to Yuta, "Here. I take it you know how to use those."

The self-proclaimed genius ignored her sarcasm and smirked. "Of course!" And without wasting any more time, he dug in to the food they had made, taking one of their creations and swallowing it greedily. "Mmm, amazing! It's good!" He said through chewing, as taking another one and eating it again. While munching, "What did you call this again?"

Maya sat across him, also with her own pair of chopsticks. "Dumplings." She replied flatly, before taking one and also placing it in her mouth, _gracefully_ at that. After all, unlike some _other_ people she could name, she had good manners.

Yuta seemed pleased. _Very_ pleased, in fact. (He even ignored the fact that he was eating like a pig.) "Dumplings, eh?" And he ate one dumpling after another, and his companion began to wonder if his stomach was an endless pit.

"Leave some for the teacher." The black mage warned, as giving him a small glare. "I don't want _my_ effort and _my_ grade be wasted by your appetite."

"Hm." He ignored her and continued eating, getting more and more until the dumplings had been reduced to less than half of their original number. "It's really good… we'll be sure to get a perfect grade!" He laughed then, as putting another of the Chinese delicacies in his mouth. Then, with a small wink, "And I didn't even have to do anything! You're such a great cook, Maya. And not mention a _great_ friend, too!"

He was really abusing her kindness this time. Maya's eyes twitched and she (accidentally) broke her chopsticks because of gripping them too hard. She resisted the urge to throw something at her childhood playmate. So instead, while trying to remain cool, "Hn. Think before you speak, Kirishima. This so-called _great_ friend of yours can't remember which of the dumplings she poisoned, you see…"

She was immediately pleased when she heard him choke.

"What? You _poisoned _them?"

A smirk was the only reply. And before Yuta could say anything else, their teacher had already come by to check on their food.

---

She was surprised when she saw him eating dumplings the next day.

It was lunch break, and she was about to go to her usual spot—a shade underneath a cherry blossom tree—only to find him already occupying it, sitting there like he owned the place. A case of dumplings were in front of him, and he was eating it with chopsticks, much like what he did during cooking class the previous day. Only this time he wasn't eating so quickly and without table manners—in fact, he was decent _enough_.

Maya suddenly shuddered at that thought. Kirishima Yuta would _never_ be decent enough. He was an arrogant, vulgar and egoistical jerk who was currently occupying _her_ personal space.

She gave him her best glare before spinning her heels towards the other direction.

She'd better just leave. If he was waiting for her, tough luck for him. No way in this lifetime would she entertain what he wanted—

"Oy, Maya!"

Damn. Spotted.

Maya ignored him, and continued walking forward, hugging her small wrap of food by her chest.

"Maya!"

Ignore him. Walk on by.

"Oy, Maya!"

She heard running footsteps then. Quick, fast-paced clicks against the pavement, coming from behind her. Annoyed, she stopped then, because it would look utterly _stupid_ if she ran too. Besides, the student body would be sure to create rumors that the smartest and hottest guy in school was chasing after the no-good princess reject.

Her knuckles clenched at the thought. No, she did not need more gossips. There were enough already. Enough wrong tales about how she and the prince went their separate ways…

"Maya!"

The blonde sighed, pushing the memories to the back of her mind and instead focusing on the present.

And so, although quite begrudgingly, she turned around to face the cocky smile of the Kirishima prodigy.

"Oy. Glad to see you acknowledged my presence."

Her eyes twitched. The present, she noted, was even more annoying than the past.

"What do you want?" Maya asked bluntly, seeing no time for idle conversation. "I suppose you don't want more dumplings from me, seeing as you have your own package over there."

Yuta chuckled somewhat. "I bought those dumplings from the human world." He then snapped his fingers and the box of dumplings disappeared from under the tree and fell into his hands. Moving them slightly towards her, "You wanna taste?"

"H-huh?"

Needless to say, she was surprised at his gesture. Why was he being so… _nice_? What was the hidden agenda here? She scrutinized the white dumplings then, which were still hot and fresh, as if it were just taken out from the steamer. One of her eyebrows arched. "They're poisoned, aren't they." It was more of a statement than a question.

He made a face. "Hey, I'm not you."

A defiant stare. "I did not poison the dumplings yesterday."

Yuta smirked. "I knew that. You were just bluffing. You could never kill me, ne?"

"I would, but you'd just probably annoy me as a ghoul, anyway."

"At least I'd be a good looking ghoul. Wouldn't you want a handsome spirit following you?"

"Not in this lifetime."

"Then maybe in the next?"

"Keep on dreaming."

He laughed then, that proud laugh of his which so annoyed her. "I'll do that." He winked at her, but she ignored it and made a move to walk away. But before she could even take a step, he blocked her with the box of dumplings again.

"C'mon, taste it. I know you want to…"

Maya sighed in exasperation. "If I eat one, you'll leave me alone?"

"Sure."

And she thought that the heavens had favored her, that the guardian of luck had finally shined upon her, that Luna's impending gloomy influence had finally left her. But _no_, that wasn't the case. Apparently, Maya was never so lucky, and that wouldn't change now.

Yuta looked smug as usual as he continued, "But only for today."

She sighed again. So much for being rid of the nuisance. "Fine. Good enough." She could use peace for the day. Damn Yuta and his persistence… why, if she was the better one at magic, she'd have him buried six feet under by now…

"C'mon, take one," he urged.

Cornered now, she could do nothing but comply.

And as the dumplings reached her mouth, she was oddly bothered by the way he was looking at her. It was as if he were expecting something, as if he were waiting for something…

"So?" And he looked at her in anticipation. "What does it taste like?"

Maya raised an eyebrow as she chewed, then swallowed. Why would he be asking that? "It tastes like what it's supposed to taste."

"And that's…?"

"Dumplings, fool."

It was an odd sight, but Yuta looked fairly disappointed. "Oh." He trailed his gaze from her then down to the dumplings, and took one himself. While chewing, "That's funny…" He looked thoughtful. "I thought your dumplings tasted better."

"Eh?" Something fishy was going on here. Did he just… _compliment_ her cooking? _Impossible_. Maya scowled at him, trying not to show her confusion. Then, abruptly, "What are you planning?" There must be some clandestine intent here! "Tell me now before I sick Luna on you."

At that, he suddenly laughed. And when Yuta _really_ laughs, he laughs _hard_.

"It's not funny, Kirishima. You _must_ have some hidden agenda. You're not being nice just for the sake of it!"

While holding his stomach to stifle his amusement, "I'm not planning anything. Geez," He snapped his fingers again, and the package of Chinese dumplings disappeared into thin air. "Don't you believe me?" He scratched his head, as if flustered. But of course, the smug smile on his face showed otherwise.

Maya couldn't be anymore straightforward. "No." She answered, and her expression showed it all. Then, in a cold tone, "Your hidden agenda. Tell me. _Now_."

Yuta raised his hands up in surrender. With a shrug, "Oy, there is no hidden agenda."

"With you, I believe that's not possible."

"Oh, but it is." And he smiled his self-important smile again. That stupid smirk of his that she wanted to scrape off his face. "All I was trying to say…"

It was strange, but she found herself straining her ears to hear his words.

"…is that it just doesn't taste the same, is all."

And with that, he turned around and walked away, leaving her quite bemused.

---

Kirishima Mito did not expect anyone to knock on their door at nine in the evening.

But sometimes, the unexpected happens, and one just has to be prepared for it.

"I'm coming!" Mito exclaimed as she rushed from the bathroom upstairs, a towel still around her head and a soapy toothbrush still hanging from her mouth. She ran towards the doorway, passing by her younger brother in the process. For a moment, there was an urge to scold him; why the hell didn't he open the door, when he was _nearer_ and not to mention looking _more decent_?

There were knocks again. Solid thumps against the oak door.

"I'm here, I'm here!" The witch murmured, more to herself than anyone else as she reached the front entrance. Feeling lazy, she zapped the locks open and pulled the door, hoping that whoever this was—_it better be good._ No one disturbs her beauty time in the bathroom without a valid reason! "What can I do to help you—oh!"

Mito paused and blinked her eyes. Was this an apparition? Some product of too much soap and shampoo in her eyes?

"Maya-chan?"

She blinked again. The usually unsociable blonde was still standing there, looking as inflexible and as cold as ever.

After a few more blinks and a few rubs to her eyes, Mito then decided that _no_, this wasn't apparition. It was real.

"Ah, Maya-chan! Come in, come in!"

Surely she considered it _odd_—the daughter of one of the most prestigious families in the Magic Kingdom was here, on their doorstep—wearing an attire of all black and red (which was no surprise, by the way) and holding what seemed to be a box of Chinese food.

Maya didn't even seem the slightest bit bothered by Mito's appearance. With her usual stoicism, she asked, "Is Kirishi—I mean, Yuta present?" Why she called Yuta by his first name was even a wonder to her; but then again, it would seem fairly wrong to call him by his last name when the whole house had every Kirishima she could think of.

"Yuta?" The older sister repeated, as stepping sideways to let the black mage in. When both of them were inside, she closed the door and mumbled a, "Wait a minute, 'kay?" Before walking away and screaming, "Yuta-chan! Someone's here to see you!"

It didn't even take five seconds before the reply came. A yellow light blinded them for a bit, and instantly, lo and behold, there he was!

"Who is it?" Yuta asked, as looking for his sister (but she had already left) so instead he focused to the visitor. "Ah!" He was surprised for a bit, but the arrogance kicked in and he smirked the usual smirk. "Maya, nice of you to come and see me!"

Maya avoided his gaze. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth to say something, "I made some dumplings."

If Yuta was surprised, he sure was good at hiding it. Instead of looking astonished, he folded his arms over his chest and grinned. "…For me?"

The blond gave him a deadly glare. "Don't push it."

"Heh," And despite the warning, the haughty smile still stayed on his face. "Whatever you say." Yuta murmured, as walking away and leading his childhood friend to the kitchen. "C'mon then. Let's eat it."

And Maya followed, although quite stiffly. When they reached the dining room, Yuta grabbed some chopsticks and handed a pair to her, while she dropped the pack of dumplings unceremoniously on the wooden table. They sat down across each other, neither speaking a word to the other even as they began to eat.

It was _almost_ just like what they did during cooking class the previous day.

_Almost; _because during that time, Maya was _forced _to make the dumplings for the two of them. Now, she did it… _willingly._

And that was odd. Very much so.

"Oy, Maya," Yuta started, while popping another one of them dumplings in his mouth. "Maybe this batch is poisoned…"

She ignored him and continued feeding herself. After a few munches and swallows, "They're not poisoned. If they were, I wouldn't be eating them too."

The self-proclaimed genius looked thoughtful. "Hm. Makes sense." He then shrugged, as placing the tip of the chopsticks by his chin, giving an image of curiosity. "But what's bothering me is: why did you go out of your way to share the dumplings with _me_?"

She didn't answer, (not like he expected she would); and instead ignored him in favor for focusing on consuming the dumplings.

Yuta took one again, taking it whole, his lighter green eyes gazing at her. "You could've just eaten it yourself." Chew, chew, swallow. "You didn't have to come all the way here."

There was a momentary pause. She still refused to talk.

"Oy, Maya?"

He was mildly surprised when she finally replied. "Hn. I didn't." Maya finally mumbled, more to herself than to him, because she even wasn't looking at him anyways. "I didn't have to, did I?"

"Aa. You didn't." He got another dumpling and ate it, his expression of the normal arrogance but his insides were perplexed. "Then why—"

Yuta's words were broken off when he caught one of Maya's tiny rare smiles.

"It just doesn't taste the same, is all."

---

**Authoress' Notes: **YAY! I'm done I hope you like it, Leishe! I _really really_ think there's something wrong with the ending, but my best friend Kyoy says there's nothing wrong with it, and so yeah. This was really inspired by my mom's dumplings. And _yes_, I have no idea either why the heck the title is "Chinese Take-Out" when it could be "Dumplings"… or something.

And again, for you, Leishe! I hope you liked it. Finally, my first YutaxMaya fic, and it's for you! (Something which I am glad for.)

You can run away in madness now. Smile, Jesus loves you!


End file.
